Gift? #201

"And what do you KNOW?" Poison Ivy said, driven to rage by Grayson's words as the plants in the greenhouse violently wreathed, affected by her mood.

"You stand there and pass judgment on me, but do you know...?" The redhead furiously asked with a scowl, her expression darkening, and fist tightening.

"What it's like to be betrayed by everyone you ever trusted...?" Poison Ivy went on, hatefully gnashing her teeth as she stared daggers into the eyes of the young man standing before her.

"Do you understand what it's like to have countless voices in your head, all screaming in agony...?" The redhead bellowed, her eyes glowing bright green as the surrounding plants began growing in size.

"You hear them in your every waking moment..." Poison Ivy said, clutching her head with an expression of utter madness."And when you sleep, they haunt your dreams, begging for mercy, for help..." She went, pulling on her hair, to which a few locks fell off, turning into flowers.

"You try to help them the only way you know how... and turn into a monster..." The redhead said, her shoulders slumping as she looked down and put on a bitter, defeated expression.

"Do you understand the helplessness of being locked into this vicious cycle...?" She asked as she slowly raised her head and looked directly into Grayson's eyes.

Ivy's look of utter despair seemed to affect the young man as a slight frown emerged on his blank face. "I've killed countless men who disregarded the fundamental rights of all life..." The redhead said, letting out a bitter chuckle as she shook her head.

"I poison them -- they die -- but there's always another to take their place, and the voices grow louder..." Ivy said, her laughter growing louder and more bitter as she spoke.

"You claim to have suffered through the worst of what the city had to offer and stood tall..." Ivy mockingly asked as she grit her teeth in frustration, clearly not expecting a reply as she went on.

"But do you know what it's like to be thrown into solitary confinement for doing the right thing, for speaking your mind...?" The redhead said, her expression darkening as unpleasant memories flashed in her mind.

"Arkham... they call it a correctional facility, an asylum for the troubled, but that couldn't be further from the truth..." She added, her expression full of contempt at the mention of the mental asylum.

"There's no release. No Parole. It's not even prisons, more like a zoo, where they keep you as an exotic animal..." Ivy continued her expression souring as one specific memory came to the surface.

"Where some sweaty, over-weight creep can ask you to go down on them to prove you're fit to mingle with society..." She remarked through gritted teeth, her expression full of disgust and loathing.

"Only when your hurt and scared enough to be quiet... to be "good," will they let you go..." Poison Ivy went on, shaking her head. "Or maybe they won't. And no one gives a damn..." She remarked as she slumped back into her throne, burying her head into her palms.

"But now you know, Grayson Whitlock..." Poison Ivy concluded as she slowly raised her head to reveal a countenance that was hollow and devoid of life as the plants promptly stopped moving and returned to their places as if nothing had happened.

"I do..." Grayson replied as he tried to keep a neutral expression, which promptly faltered as he let out a sigh and muttered something about comic book logic, which Ivy didn't understand.

"But it doesn't change anything..." Grayson said as he resumed his blank expression and shook his head. "It doesn't change how the people see you... " He went on, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You've made a monster of yourself, Ivy, a terrorist..." He explained, to which Ivy's expression only sank further. "Harley, Deadshot, Lady Vic, people look at them and see psychotic, dangerous human beings..." He went, grimacing as he sighed.

"But they are human beings nonetheless. You, however..." Grayson added, trailing at the end of his sentence as if hesitating. "You're different... not only do your looks differ from regular humans, but you have power beyond their imagination..." He continued after a slight pause he used to choose his words.

"People fear those who are different by default, more so those who are more powerful than them..." Grayson said, raising his hand and gesturing to the side.

"Considering how you've used your power and for how long..." Grayson said, regretfully shaking his head, much to Ivy's despair. "It's almost impossible to make the people see you in a new light..." He concluded.

"Is that so...?" Ivy asked, showing an expression of defeat. "Go then... I won't interfere with whatever you have planned for Enchantress..." she went as she gestured for the exit.

"But mark my words, with or without your help... I will find a way..." She concluded, her countenance turning blank as she leaned into her throne with a hard-to-read expression.

Grayson momentarily paused at Ivy's words, the gears shifting in his head as he showed a hesitant expression. "Maybe you didn't hear..." he went on, his hesitation hardening into resolve.

"I said almost impossible..." Grayson said, causing a light of hope to appear in Ivy's hollow eyes. "I make no guarantees... it might end up being a waste of time, but..." he went on, trailing off at the end of his sentence.

"I have an idea... and it might be worth a shot..." Grayson said, then proceeded to explain his plan to Poison Ivy, who listened with wrapt attention.

...

Later

"And you think that will work...?" Ivy asked, scrunching her eyebrows as she looked at Grayson, who was now seated in a plant chair that wasn't nearly as impressive as her own but still comfortable.

"No. Not really. But the way I see it, it's the only way..." Grayson honestly replied, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "Unlikely as it may be, it's not impossible, at least..." he went on, shaking his head as he sighed and gestured to the side.

"And you're willing to do all that...? for me...?" Ivy asked, suspiciously narrowing her eyes at Grayson as she gave him a once over, which seemed to amuse the latter more than anything else.

"You'll owe me big..." Grayson blankly replied, raising an eyebrow at Ivy's words. "And convincing Enchantress to testify doesn't even begin to cover it..." he went, letting out a chuckle as he shifted in his seat and leaned into his side.

"You'll have to go to hell and back, sort of anyway, and that's only the down payment..." Grayson went, and his words only seemed to confuse Ivy as she gave him a blank look. He got the hint and elaborated.

"There's this one interdimensional, possibly demonic entity that I need to deal with..." Gray said, sighing as he began explaining the deal he had with Nightshade, to which she could only slowly blink in surprise at how ridiculous it sounded.

"And if you can convince Enchantress to come along, that's your entire payment..." He concluded as he heaved a sigh, having explained the entire situation to the redhead.

"So you're asking me to travel to another dimension to fight a horde of monsters...?" Ivy asked, trailing at the end of her sentence as she blankly looked at the young man sitting in front of her.

"Basically. Yeah," Grayson briefly replied, nodding as he shrugged.

"What the hell..." Ivy said, shaking her head as she let out an amused chuckle. "So be it... but I might not be able to convince Enchantress to do the same..." she went, shaking her head.

"Then we'll have to manage without her either way..." Grayson replied after some thought. "But try it anyway...having a powerful magic user at our side won't hurt..." he went on, nodding at Poison Ivy, to which she returned the gesture.

"With that..." Grayson said as he stood up and stepped toward Poison Ivy, causing her to tilt her head. "I suppose we have a deal then," he added as he extended his right hand in the redhead's direction.

"I suppose we do..." Poison Ivy said, nodding and standing up to grip Grayson's hand in a firm handshake as she let out a faint smile that caused flowers to bloom on the surrounding vines in a literal sense.

"Then I'll be in touch..." Grayson said, letting go of Ivy's hand as he turned to leave. Again, he halted at the exit as vines engulfed the door, blocking the way out.

Grayson sighed as he turned back to Ivy. "What is it this time...?" He asked, his tone annoyed as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"A gift for you..." Ivy said as she gestured with her hand, causing a giant flower bud to emerge from the earth. "I'd intended to use it at a more critical juncture..." She went on as the bud bloomed, revealing the figure of a man in a strange green suit bound in vines.

"The Riddler...?"